Communicating numbers clearly in a legal context: what a lawyer has to say

In the UK we’re very used to seeing complex and jargon heavy legal documents attached to financial products, but what happens if we simplify how the numbers and numerical concepts are written?

We invited Tim Johnson, partner at UK & Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, to explain how Plain Numbers has become central to his approach.

As head of insurance services at Browne Jacobson, I’ve seen firsthand how the Plain Numbers Approach is reshaping the way we think about legal documents.

Our firm’s partnership with Plain Numbers – the first of its kind among law firms – has helped us prioritise clarity, ensuring our clients can communicate effectively with their customers.

Shifting focus to numeracy:

Numbers are a key part of what financial services organisations need to tell customers.

So – when we think about communicating clearly – we’ve got to shift away from just thinking about the words to including numbers too. And it’s not just a ‘nice to have’.

The Financial Conduct Authority has made it every financial organisation’s responsibility to make sure customers actually understand the financial products they’re using – from insurance to credit cards, payment plans to mortgages.

Plain Numbers has shifted my perspective, encouraging me to see things through the lens of people who struggle with numeracy – whether they have maths anxiety, dyscalculia, or simply lower numerical skills.

Nearly 50% of the adult population has difficulty with numbers, so when I look at documents now, I ask myself: how will the average person understand this? Are they going to carry on reading if dense tables or loads of jargon is thrown at them?

What I often tell clients to do is take a step back from the legal jargon.

When we’re putting a document together, I’ll say, "Put the contract aside—just tell me, in plain English, what are you trying to achieve?" This helps reframe what we’re writing and makes sure the focus is on being as clear as possible, not just legal precision.

Using Plain Numbers in practice:

A key lesson I’ve learned is the importance of doing the hard work for customers, whether that’s simplifying complex maths, removing jargon, or structuring the page for easy reading with a clear information hierarchy.

In financial services there are so many complaints and issues around mis-selling that don’t stem from problems with the legal contract itself.

Instead, the issues come from a mismatch between the contract and what the customer was led to believe through pre-contractual information, marketing materials, or online content.

I think people always assume that the legal documents need to be done in a certain way because of legal and regulatory rules.

We’re showing at Browne Jacobson that by using the Plain Numbers Approach you can tell people the legal information that they need in a way that's legally tight but also understandable. It’s clear that just because it’s done a certain way for decades it doesn't have to be that way.

Tim is head of the insurance sector at Browne Jacobson, the first and only law firm to be a Plain Numbers partner. Tim was recognised in The Lawyer’s ‘Hot 100’ for his ground-breaking work on the readability of insurance policies.